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Red Flag Research Paper

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Ring, ring, ring. This sound is ingrained in my subconscious as one of anxiety, confusion, frustration, and eventual relief. Junior year had just begun and I was busy completing my homework when the phone started to ring. I was already anticipating the ways I would spend my time after completing my written assignments and reviewing the new information learned that day in class. My father had not returned from work yet, and dinner had already come and gone. This initial idiosyncrasy, one that probably should have raised a "red flag," was glossed over as routine and ordinary. Times of tribulation and stress often expose who we truly are as individuals. They strip us of our defensive layers and reveal ourselves at the "bare bones," fundamental level. I had no idea that this telephone call (and subsequent events) would expose my true identity …show more content…

I was not eavesdropping, but the words "a few more tests" and "it may be a while" caught my attention. After the call concluded, I was curious and asked for a description of the situation. My Dad had gone that day to the cardiologist for a routine visit and received an echocardiogram for the first time. My Mom said that the cardiologist noticed an irregularity in the scan and decided to admit my father to the hospital in order to run some more tests. At this point, no one (other than the doctor) knew the nature of the abnormality. This lack of information was the most frightening aspect of the situation. I was confused and had no idea what to expect from this development. Lacking the necessary information to assess this new development, I began to research what I knew. This was both a coping mechanism used to deal with this new, possibly fatal development and an outlet for my insatiable curiosity. I soon learned that his move to the hospital was not because of something like a myocardial infarction or "heart

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